Fellowship of Saints and Sinners

The Oscar for Best Neighbor

Fred Rogers died in 2003. He was a Presbyterian minister, but better known for his signature tie, red, button-down sweater and gentle personna on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

[Correction: a previous version of this post implied this year’s Oscars had already happened, when in fact the ceremony will take place on Feb. 24; apologies for the misinformation- but I am still rooting for the youngest actress in the mix.]

This morning, following the news of this year’s Oscar nominations, I was reminded of one especially touching moment from a past Academy Awards celebration. Maybe some of you recall it: upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for his PBS children’s show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Fred Rogers, best known for his gentle, under-stated croon, “Will You Be My Neighbor?,” chose to leave his audience with something more than the usual gushing exclamations of self-congratulation. He asked his hearers to remember all those in their lives who had loved them into being and helped them achieve their dreams. Those brief moments of remembrance left few dry eyes in the house.

Maybe the church exists for just this sort of purpose- to call the world out of itself, back to a Love that formed it, calls it and seeks its return.

Here is Fred Rogers, and I’m grateful to fellow saint and sinner Paul Dover for first introducing me to this video:

Writing Sabbatical—and "The Departure of the Prodigal Son"I'm sorry: my absenteeism at this intersection can be attributed to a number of things lately, the most pressing of which is my forthcoming book with author and Christian addiction specialist Jonathan Benz. The book (Prodigal Church or a version of it) is now officially under deadline and by April 1